He is 19-years-old, stands six-foot three inches tall, his hero is England’s all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and a few days ago he won the Steve Waugh Medal for the best NSW player of 2012-13.
He is Gurinder Sandhu.
Of Indian origin but born in Blacktown, he has was pivotal in NSW’s Sheffield Shield defeat of South Australia in mid-March on the Sydney Cricket Ground, thanks to his 4 for 58 and 3 for 20 as a fast-medium swinger. He also scored 45 valuable runs.
This was only his second first-class match and he played with assurance. To cap it all, he was man of the match.
In his Sheffield Shield debut a week earlier he captured 5 for 31 and 2 for 57 against Victoria.
Thus, in only two first-class matches, he claimed 14 wickets at an impressive average of 11.85.
He also represented Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League earlier this year.
Australia’s performance in India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was so pathetic, losing 0-4, that there are whispers Gurinder may be picked for Australia in the Ashes series in England.
Will it be too early to blood him? Will he break down like Pat Cummins, who was thrown in the Test fold at 18 (and like other Aussie quicks who crack up at the drop of a bail despite the rotation policy)?
Based on my enjoyable chat with him, Gurinder appears well-proportioned, like a Sikh warrior who won’t say die.
I first asked why he bats left-handed but bowls right-arm fast-medium.
“I started playing backyard cricket with my father, who is also my mentor. He bats right-handed and bowls left-arm like Michael Clarke, so I did the opposite as a child. And the habit stuck!”
So are there any other cricketers in the family?
“My younger brother Harmon shows promise and represents his club for under-15s.”
Still a teenager and with only a handful of games for NSW, what are your cricket achievements?
“I scored a few centuries when I played under-15s, my highest score being 147 not out.
“In a first grade match I took a hat-trick for Fairfield-Liverpool against Manly.
“But the great thrill was being selected for Australia in the under-19 World Cup staged in Australia last year. We entered the final but lost to India.
Who coached you?
“Test cricketers Craig McDermott and Stuart Law, among others. It was a privilege learning from them.”
Your most memorable moment?
“Getting the baggy blue last month to represent NSW in Sheffield Shield from skipper Ben Rohrer, and then taking seven wickets in that match against Victoria including a five-fer in the first innings.”
Your hero?
“He is England’s all-rounder Andrew Flintoff. I hope to play like him one day.”
One step at a time, Gurinder.
Nick Richardson
Roar Guru
He's a Queenslander what do you expect. Seems to be a trend.
Rabbits
Guest
Wow TJ, you're so full of it. Or were you just taking the Mickey out of us?
Col
Guest
Um, isn't the Steve Waugh medal supposed to go to the best performed player for the season for NSW?? This bloke won it with a couple of 5 fa's from 2 shield games and a handful of limited over games??? Wow, NSW and ultimately Aussie cricket is in a far worse place than I imagined......
Brendon
Guest
Pattinson no worldbeater? Really, he looks pretty darn good to me
Disco
Roar Guru
Copeland's call up was overdue actually. He should've featured in the Ashes.
Disco
Roar Guru
I recall last year when Australia went to play ODIs in England, the same people were claiming Australia's pacemen would blow away the English batsmen. Most of Australia's bowlers are unproven away from home.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Yeah, they are good, but not world-beaters as sometimes touted, especially about Pattinson. Bird came in and did well, but it was against Sri Lanka; a side with good batsmen however not suited to Australian conditions. When Ponting could barely stay on his feet against a top quality attack, yet average 75 in the Shield, you do have to wonder about the real quality of Shield bowlers. Admittedly that difference with Ponting may come down largely to pure pace, South Africa has Steyn, Shield sides don't have anything like that speed. But do the bowlers simply look a lot better than they are because the batting is so weak and/or states are making more seam-friendy pitches in order to obtain outright results. Or is the bowling really that good and that deep? Its hard to believe the bowling is that good when its not tested against decent batting very often. Are we over-estimating our bowling stocks? And if so, by how much?
formeropenside
Guest
Yeah, but Cutting never got handed a cheap debut against a poor batting side...or even at all, actually.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
To produce so many international cricketers is a curse in disguise for NSW in Shield cricket. Their best cricketers are representing Australia in Tests or ODIs or T20s which is a disadvantage for NSW. Call it irony!
John
Guest
Copeland earned his baggy green through 2 highly consistent seasons of Sheffield Shield cricket, you know, like how proper Test teams used to be selected! To suggest he didn't earn his just shows how little you know. Go back and check the stats for 2009/10, 2010/11 and you will see he consistently took top order wickets for bugger all runs. He most certainly did a hell of a lot more than some current Test players ie: Starc, go on, have a look and then tell me his FC figures even go close to warranting a baggy green, let alone a baggy blue!
lou
Guest
Only picking NSW batsmen is working out well, isn't it?
Rex Munday
Guest
You got it in one. Ben Cutting has been tearing it up for years and has barely been given a chance.
Rex Munday
Guest
He's from NSW so I'm sure a baggy green is in the post.
Rex Munday
Guest
Yeah. 9 NSW players in the side that lost to India by an innings and a billion runs isn't enough
Bearfax
Guest
Ummmm. Now let me think about this. Dont tell me or give me hints. I'll get it. Ummmm...They're all cricketers?
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
What's the common link in this team below? Mark Taylor, Michael Slater, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh (captain), Michael Clarke, Michael Bevan, Brad Haddin (wicket-keeper), Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Stuart MacGill and Glenn McGrath. 12th man: Simon Katich. Reserves: Phil Hughes, Phil Jaques, Phil Emery, Nathan Bracken, Nathan Hauritz. They all played for NSW from 1998-2009. They can not only beat the Rest of Australia but possibly win the World Cup. Howzatt?
Johnno
Guest
TJ your Sydney centric attitude, is not blinding it's obvious. You need to start reading , the herald sun, or the courier mail, or the mercury in tasmania, or the advertiser in adelaide, your so sydney centric as are some of the cricket writers around OZ. And you support the smh and daily telegraph, they put a lot of spin on favourites they want in the team, and you took the bait. baggy blue equals a baggy green , always been that way. So many more cricketers have been from NSW than any other state. Alan Border is a sydneysider , who moved up to QLD later in his career. Dirk Wellham was a New South welshman who moved up to Tasmania then QLD later in his career too.
Bearfax
Guest
Errrr. Quiney has an FC overall average of 35.7. Hardly impressive for test cricket. Smith has an average of 42. And this Shield season Smith has averaged 37.42. Quiney has averaged 26.81. Are we talking about a different Quiney?
Tatah
Guest
It did when we could play champ. Now that we're letting in other states, look what's happening. I say let's get back to picking the core of the side from the NSW XI plus a few others. You know it's right.
TJ
Guest
You anti-NSW posters don't know what you are talking about, 'baggy blue with a baggy green'. Stop complaining. Just come to SYD and watch grade cricket. SYD grade cricket is near test standard. Playing for NSW is just a filter for all those that dominate grade cricket to step into the Australian team. They can't all play for Australia at one time you know. Any player that can make it to the NSW team is a player of significant potential and once they can validate that with a great game or two at state level they should be rewarded. For years now NSW have been holding up the national team. And that's because NSW produces the best players. Can't you guys see that already. I know Kerry O'Keefe, Geoff Lawson, Andrew Faulkner, Malcolm Conn, Andrew Wu, Jim Maxwell, David Lord, Malcolm Knox all support my view, just read or listen to all their media comments. If you don't know who they are, then just read the SMH and DT. So you guys know the rule. Players from other states need to make a heap of runs or take heaps of wickets for at least four or five years just to prove they are any good. If they have an off-year then they need to start again. NSW players are already proven. Look at Henriques, Steve Smith, Phil Hughes, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc et al. Ignore their first class records, they are guns. Can you imagine instead of choosing Phil Hughes, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja a few years back, if Australia had gone for some other players for that Ashes series. The batting line-up in India could have looked like Rogers, Warner, Hodge, Watson, Clarke and David Hussey. With that team we would have lost 8-0 in India. The Ashes eleven should be: Hughes (Yes he now plays for SA but he is Blue through and through) Warner Watson Maddinson Clarke Smith Haddin (the best keeper in the world) Henriques Starc Zampa Hazelwood Sandhu (12th Man - he hasn't passed Hazlewood yet. Hazelwood's 'three for' the other day was absolutely brilliant!) And there's a reason why Hodge, Law, Love, Siddons, Cox, D Hussey (all those blokes you guys complain about not having played enough test cricket) etc didn't play for Australia. They all had weaknesses. Like the selectors, just read the Daily Telegraph or SMH for their opinion. For instance Brad Hodge and Martin Love both had a major weakness outside off stump, we all saw that. Don't care if Hodge made a test double century. Compare him to Steve Smith, no comparison. Steve Smith, no major weaknesses to speak of. At least you guys had M Hussey, Lehmann, Hayden, Langer get a few games. They were one of few who passed the tests of scoring a whole heap for a few seasons. They were lucky though.